Thursday, April 1, 2010

Donor Drive 2010

April is National Donate Life Month. In the last few months you've read my posts about what organ donation has meant to my family. If you haven't registered to be an organ donor, this is a great month to do so. If you are a registered organ donor, then encourage someone else to be an organ donor.

Signing the back of your driver's license it NOT enough. Michigan is going to be taking that information off the driver's license. You need to be registered in the data base. You will receive a Donor Heart to put on your drivers license which will alert doctors and emergency care workers that you are a donor in the event that something would happen to you.

Here are some facts straight from the Gift of Life Michigan website:

Donation Facts

Of the state's 10 million residents, about 1.7 million are registered organ donors.

Since 2007, residents no longer sign the back of their Michigan driver’s license to indicate their wish to be an organ and tissue donor. Instead, they join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry and receive a red heart logo for their license or state ID.

More than 200,000 people joined the Michigan Organ Donor Registry in 2009. Gift of Life Michigan is trying to register one million new potential donors in 2010 - in hopes of saving more lives.

In 2008, Michigan had a record 327 organ donors, who gave about 900 organs to those on the waiting list.

In 2008, the Michigan Eye-Bank provided 1,199 corneas to recipients.

On average, 17 Michigan residents have organ transplants every week.

The supply of organs available doesn't come close to meeting the demand. This state has about 3,000 people on the waiting list. That number is 100,000 nationwide.

Organ donors can save up to eight lives and tissue donors can substantially improve life for up to 50 sick or injured people.

It's that easy and that gift will one day help many people live and lead a better life.